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Top Shark Diving Destinations
Swim with the sharks and face one of the world’s greatest fears and conquer it. Humans consider themselves out of their element in the water, especially around the wild life that exists within the deep. From a small age, children recognize sharks and are taught to fear them. Now is a chance to turn that fear into one of the greatest thrill-seeking adventures available on the planet. Over the past decade, people have increasingly traveled the world looking for opportunities to swim with the sharks in their natural habitat and now we have a complete list of the top shark diving destinations known to man. Spanning the world, these destinations will land you in the ideal spot to witness one of the ocean’s greatest mysteries: sharks.

United States
Although exotic vacations are wonderful, you don’t have to move too far from home to come face to face with sharks. There are three main destinations on both the east and west coast that provide opportunities to dive with a variety of sharks.
California: Taking you out into deeper waters, the cold Pacific Ocean allows for both cage and non-cage diving with a variety of shark species.
Rhode Island: Surprisingly, the freezing temperatures of the northeast attract some of the ocean’s most allusive sharks: the Blue Shark.
Florida: With more shark sightings here than anywhere else in the US, it isn’t surprising that patrons can go diving with hammerheads, whale sharks and even catch glimpses of bull sharks.
Australia
Famous for its Great Barrier Reef, Australia has clear waters that will rival the Bahamas and give you amazing views of a variety of ocean life, not just sharks. Although there are several smaller spots along the Australian coast that have become popular, the Barrier Reef is the major tourist attraction for seeing smaller reef sharks and the occasional Great White.

Central and South America
Recently, Mexico and South American countries have become hit destinations for beautiful scenery and remarkable shark sightings.
Brazil: Already a popular tourist spot, the shorelines of Brazil have become a major stop for thrill-seekers who are interested in seeing the more elusive lemon shark and the aggressive bull shark.
Costa Rica: The Cocos Islands is breathtaking in its beauty and clear sea water, but even more so it is becoming world-renowned for shark diving, particularly hammerhead sharks.
Mexico: On the Isla Guadalupe, a small relatively unpopulated island, there is a heart stopping Great White show that few know about. Skip busy tourist areas and relax on this virtually private beach in between shark diving sessions.

South Africa
Two words: ‘Shark Alley.’ Visit the ‘Great White Shark’ capital of the world that any shark diver addict must see. The Atlantic just off of South Africa is a breeding ground for seals and therefore the seals’ biggest predator – the Great White. South Africa is also known for its whale shark sightings.

Galapagos Island
Darwin’s famous island just got a little more interesting with groups of 100 or more hammerhead sharks circling the island throughout the year. This is an incredible sight that you won’t want to miss.

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Written by James Anderson

Though it is possibly in this site’s best interest to assuage one’s fears one about swimming with sharks, shark bite, bleeding in the water, etc., there’s no point in denying the obvious: The notion of being able to swim with the sharks inspires deep and singular fear. Hence its appeal, and hence why you’re here. For me, sharks have been a lifelong thing. When I was a kid I was seized by visions of many-toothed sharks swimming right at me (courtesy the Discovery Channel)—yet I couldn’t be kept from checking out every shark book in the school library and reading with total fascination. The singular fear of swimming with sharks allies itself with an equally singular fascination. Together they are responsible for the advent of the modern blockbuster (Jaws, anyone?), the longest running American cable program (see ‘Shark Week’), an active ecotourism industry and the very livelihood of guys like me.

It is well-documented that sharks and our fear of them have come to represent something deep and primal in the mind of man: the demon of our dreams and irrational fears. Likewise, the act of being able to swim with the sharks has come to me to be equally representative of something deep and primal (forgive me if I wax romantic). Some have called shark diving stupid and put the activity in the same category as free-soloing and other daredevilry. Done improperly, I agree, it is stupid. But to make heavy assurances of our watertight safety measures or shark-proof diving procedures is beside my point: Diving in to swim with the sharks is one of those rare acts wherein real and primal fear is faced and conquered, wherein fascination flourishes as new worlds are opened and temporarily inhabited. Sharks are creatures completely different from us human beings, what with their fifteen rows of teeth and dead eyes and incomparable sense of smell—and again, that weirdness is part of the appeal. They inhabit a world so alien to our own, at once predatory and benign, majestic and misunderstood. To swim among them is a literal, other-worldly immersion.

But, dispensing with any more of the schmaltz and romance, what is it that actually allows a sane person to voluntarily enter shark-infested waters? Does it take a specific type of person? I’m often told that people in this line of work “must be very brave.” My own interests aside, I’m going to say that this is pretty much nonsense, that it doesn’t take a specific type, and that just about everyone can come out conqueror/have an enjoyable swim with the sharks. The fear is always going to be there, no matter what type of person you are. That said, it does one good to realize that the stats overwhelmingly point to a safe experience. When we say that shark attacks are extremely rare, we’re talking a probability of 1 in 11.5 million. Besides logging such comforting statistics, the best one can do is to spare no expense in his/her preparation (a subject for another time), and finally, to use one’s fear to commit and take a swim.